Wisconsin transfer guard A.J. Storr saw increased playing time in No. 7 Kansas’ loss to No. 2 Iowa State on Wednesday.
The former Badger saw 10 minutes of action in the 74-57 defeat and totaled five points, two rebounds, two assists and a block on two-of-six shooting and zero-of-two from three.
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The performance is a step forward for Storr, whose role had dwindled significantly over the last several weeks. Head coach Bill Self called him out publicly after a Dec. 31 loss to West Virginia, which preceded the star transfer playing just four minutes in the Jayhawks’ 19-point win over Arizona State on Jan. 8.
Those minute totals are back in double digits, first in a Jan. 11 win over Cincinnati and now against the Cyclones. He played well in the 10 minutes of action, even igniting a mini-run to cut Kansas’ deficit from 11 to five late in the second half. In succession, Storr blocked a layup attempt, grabbed the defensive rebound, then assisted a layup on the other end. One minute later, he missed a three-pointer that would have brought Kansas to within three points.
Storr stayed on the court for the last seven minutes of the game as Kansas dealt with foul trouble to its big men. In the end, his contributions weren’t enough to keep pace with an Iowa State team that seems poised for a deep run in March.
The former Badger’s performance, while a step in the right direction, did not help his season-long averages. Those totals currently sit at 17.7 minutes, 6.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 39.8% shooting and 29.7% from three. They are all lower than his production as a freshman at St. John’s, plus far from his outputs from a stellar 2023-24 campaign with the Badgers.
Storr and the Jayhawks are back on the court on Jan. 18 against Kansas State. He’ll look to carry momentum from this performance, continuing to battle for a consistent role in Kansas’ deep lineup.
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Story originally appeared on Badgers Wire
